FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

It says CFL. Wonder if I can use this for my D. Capensis. I’m not sure on the bulb as I don’t want to break it or the lamp in my room :/

It looks like the maximum bulb rating is quite low on the lamp. It might be enough for one plant (you'd have to keep the lamp extremely close) though I'd recommend a different option if you have one.

Do you know any kind of desk lamp I can get and the right lightbulb for it I can get at home depot? You see, my situation with my D. Capensis is kind of dire. No dew=no feeding, it's much more humid in my house than it is outside here in American Canyon California. As you probably know, spring is just around the corner, is it natural for D. Capensis to not dew as much in the winter months? So many questions sorry Dx

Would this be good? Its a full spectrum desk lamp, full spectrum=just like sunlight.
https://www.amazon.com/Sunlight-Spectru ... B00LG6YVLQ

I use these: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Philips-100 ... /206923041

under $14.00 for 2 lamps.
Output 1500 lumens.
My sundews like them.

Good growing,
Mike

Trust me, humidity does not matter in the slightest. The particular light source doesn't really matter either, you just need to worry about brightness (though LEDs are nice for the power efficiency and long lifetime.) My rule of thumb is to aim for about 2000 lumens per square foot of grow space.

Right, the lamp itself doesn't matter. Your bulb looks very yellow from the photo. You need a 5000-6500 K bulb. You should be able to use the ones Shadowtski linked to since they're LED and won't heat up like an actual 100W bulb. Otherwise you need a lamp that can handle a 60, 75, or 100W CFL bulb. CFLs even don't generate as much heat, so I don't know if yours would be ok.

You can use anywhere from a 3000k-6500k color temperature (even 2700k is ok really, which is standard indoor lighting.) Some people go even higher (aquarium lights) though I'm not sure why. While 6500k is the closest to natural daylight, I know quite a few people have seen better results with a lower color temperature for indoor growing (in the 4000k-5000k range) compared to 6500k, though it's not going to be a large difference either way. I know some horticultural lighting companies have seen similar results in their research - I think it has to do with the lack of IR and UV radiation in artificial light sources.

Basically don't worry about it so much - just buy a light that you like the look of. I like 4000k LEDs myself since they have a nice neutral white color, especially compared to the clinical blue tint of 6500k fluorescents.

nimbulan wrote:You can use anywhere from a 3000k-6500k color temperature (even 2700k is ok really, which is standard indoor lighting.)

6500 K fluorescent bulbs have a output spike at about the 450 nm wavelength which is one of the two wavelengths where photosynthesis is most sensitive. With white light, as you move down in temperature away from 6500 K to redder light, that wavelength spike drastically decreases. So you'd need your light closer and on longer the farther away from 6500 K you get. 5000 K is effective in HO T5 bulbs, because they are such high output. But a 5000 K T8 bulb would not work as well as a 6500 K T8 bulb. I think it's been shown by the hundreds of posts here about unhealthy VFTs being grown as houseplants (and every school science fair ever) that plants don't do well under incandescent lights. If you're talking about red/blue LED grow lights, then the color temperature is lower because they're not producing wasted green/yellow wavelenghts.

I'm not sure I've actually seen anyone attempt to grow plants under incandescent lighting. Nobody wants to use so much power for so little light - it's not an issue of spectrum.

I'm just going to say that there is a hell of a lot of false information about photosynthesis out there. The typical chlorophyll absorption graph that most people look at is nearly meaningless from the perspective of growing plants because it was produced using extracted pigments in a laboratory and doesn't take into account leaf structure and many accessory pigments. Yield photon flux graphs give a much better idea, but it's still limited since the graph will change depending on the plant species being grown and the light intensity.

Red wavelengths are more efficient than blue (that's a big part of why those red/blue LEDs always have 3x as many red LEDs as blue ones) and green/yellow light is definitely not wasted - in fact green light is the most effective driver of photosynthesis at high light intensity.

nimbulan wrote: green/yellow light is definitely not wasted - in fact green light is the most effective driver of photosynthesis at high light intensity.

Any references you know of where I can read more about that?

xr280xr wrote:

nimbulan wrote: green/yellow light is definitely not wasted - in fact green light is the most effective driver of photosynthesis at high light intensity.

Any references you know of where I can read more about that?

Yeah I actually have links to two scientific papers on the topic here. The gist of it is that since chloroplasts absorb the majority of red and blue light, that all gets absorbed near the surface, but since a significant amount of green light is reflected internally it can penetrate further, reaching cells deeper inside the leaf more easily. Once the surface chloroplasts are saturated the plant can derive more benefit from green light than more red and blue. That's also why the efficiency balance changes with light intensity.

Links:
https://watermark.silverchair.com/pcp03 ... 3sXUjc3S9Y
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... 0563.x/pdf

Can I use this? I saw some pictures of people using this kind of light(color of the light).

Yes you can use that. A lot of people do, though it's rather difficult to view your plants properly under that sort of lighting.

Here is the description from Amazon about this light.

Item: P30-78 SMD 5730 led grow light

LED Quantity: 78pcs

Power:50W , Actual Power Consumption: about 14-18W , energy saving led light bulb

Base Type: E27

Full Spectrum: 50W:42Red+18Blue+6White+6IR+6UV

Input Voltage: AC85-265V

Lumens: 2500-3200LM

Lifespan: 50000hours

Size: 98(D)*94mm(H)

Warranty:3 years

Led grow lamp can boost plant and vegetable germinating growing , flowing, seeding for indoor garden, hydroponic, soil breeding, potted or seeding need. Increase yield and decrease growth circle. It is energy saving low power consumption, long life expectancy and more Energy efficient than Incandescent, HPS and most Halogen Lamp

Note: The IR, it is hard to see clearly by eyes, very dim. Please don't think they are not working. Instead, it plays an very important role in the flowering and fruiting stages of plants



Why Choose Full Spectrum Led Grow Light?

Red 650~660nm, 620-630nm---- the best spectrum for plant flowering and fruiting;

Blue 430-440nm, 450-460nm ---- It is maximum peak points for vegetative growth and absorption;

White LEDs ---- Full-spectrum / wide-Kelvin provide fill for all missing spectrums and add Lux.

UV 380 - 400 nm ---- Process of chlorophyll absorption begins. UV (ultraviolet) has the unique function of sterilization and kills phytopathogenic bacteria.

IR---- There is little absorption by Chlorophyll here, but Phytochrome uses a nice portion. Flowering and germination is influenced.